The clothes are just irrelevant’

A candid interview in which British Vogue’s former fashion director said she was fired from the title has been mysteriously removed from the internet.

Ever since the announcement that long-standing editor Alexandra Shulman was to be replaced by stylist Edward Enninful, it became clear that a new era was dawning at the glossy title. Especially as two other departures swiftly followed: managing editor of 24 years Frances Bentley left on the same day, and fashion director Lucinda Chambers announced that she was to step down four months later.

But now, in an extremely open interview with Vestoj, Chambers has said that she was fired – a decision which she said took bosses just “three minutes” to carry out.

In an article published on the “critical thinking” fashion website, Chambers, 57, said she had been fired six weeks ago by Enninful.

“A month and a half ago I was fired from Vogue,” she says. “It took them three minutes to do it. I didn’t leave. I was fired.”

British Vogue has since responded, saying: “It’s usual for an incoming editor to make some changes to the team,” the publication told The Independent.

“Any changes made are done with the full knowledge of senior management.”

The interview was promptly taken down as soon as it began to gain traction on social media – a move the site says was due to the “sensitive nature” of the article.

But, Vestoj has since re-published it in its entirety with the hopes that it will spark a discussion which might, in the words of Chambers, “lead to a more empowering and useful fashion media.”

Entitled, “Will I Get a Ticket?”, Chambers went on to slam some of the magazine’s decisions – particularly when it came to advertising.

“The June cover with Alexa Chung in a stupid Michael Kors T-shirt is crap,” she admits.

“He’s a big advertiser so I knew why I had to do it. I knew it was cheesy when I was doing it, and I did it anyway.”

Then, she shed light on the employment of a fashion editor who, according to Chambers, was employed despite being a “terrible stylist”.

“In fashion you can go far if you look fantastic and confident — no one wants to be the one to say ‘but they’re crap’.”

But, perhaps the most revealing extract of the entire interview came when Chambers exposed the reality of the publication she had worked for, for 36 years.

Here, she admitted that she hadn’t “read Vogue in years”, slating the clothes as “irrelevant” and “ridiculously expensive”.

“There are very few fashion magazines that make you feel empowered. Most leave you totally anxiety-ridden.

“Truth be told, I haven’t read Vogue in years. The clothes are just irrelevant for most people – so ridiculously expensive.

“I know glossy magazines are meant to be aspirational, but why not be both useful and aspirational? That’s the kind of fashion magazine I’d like to see.”